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FTER Federigo was in bed, I continued sitting in the open balcony, which looked into the street, with Vesuvius before me. The extraordinary world, in which I seemed to be as in a dream, forbade me to sleep. By degrees it became more and more quiet in the street below me: the lights were extinguished: it was already past midnight. My eye rested upon the mountain, where the pillar of fire raised itself up from the crater, towards the blood-red, broad mass of cloud, which, united to this, seemed like a mighty pine-tree of fire and flame: the lava streams were the roots, with which it embraced the mountain.

My soul was deeply impressed by this great spectacle — the voice of God, which spoke from the volcano, as from the still silent night-heaven. It was one of those moments which occurs now and then, when, so to say, the soul stands face to face with its God. I comprehended something of his omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness comprehended something of Him, whose servants are the lightning and the whirlwind; yet, without whose permission not even a sparrow falls to the earth. My own life stood clearly before me: I saw in the whole a wonderful guiding and directing; every misfortune even, and every sorrow, had brought about a change for the better. The unhappy death of my mother by the runaway horses, whilst I stood a poor helpless child, seemed to shape out for me a better future; for was not, perhaps, the peculiar and nobler reason which afterwards induced Excellenza to take charge of my bringing up the circumstance of his having been the innocent cause of my misfortune? The strife be

tween Mariuccia and Peppo, the fearful moments which I passed in his house, drove me out upon the stream of the world; for unless I had dwelt with old Domenica, on the dreary Campagna, the attention of Excellenza had perhaps never been directed to me.

Thus I reviewed in thought scene after scene of my life, and found the highest wisdom and goodness in the chain of events; nor was it until I came to that last link, that all seemed to fall asunder. My acquaintance with Annunciata was like a spring day, which in a moment had expanded every flower-bud in my soul. With her I could have become everything her love would have perfected the happiness of my life. Bernardo's sentiment towards her was not pure like mine: even had he suffered for a moment by losing her, his pain would have been short: he would soon have learned to console himself; but that Annunciata loved him annihilated all my life's happiness. Here I comprehended not the wisdom of the Almighty, and felt nothing but pain, because of all my vanished dreams. At that moment a cittern sounded under the balcony; and I saw a man, with a cloak thrown over his shoulders, who touched the strings from which trembled notes of love. Shortly afterwards, the door of the opposite house opened quite softly, and the man vanished behind it. a happy lover, who went to kisses and embraces.

I looked up to the star-bright air to the brilliant dark blue sea which gleamed redly with the reflected light of the lava and the eruption.

"Thou art

"Glorious nature!" burst forth from my heart. my mistress! Thou claspest me to thy heart-openest to me thy heaven, and thy breath kisses me on my lips and brow! Thee will I sing, thy beauty, thy holy greatness! I will repeat before the people the deep melodies which thou singest in my soul! Let my heart bleed; the butterfly which struggles upon the needle becomes most beautiful: the stream which, hurled as a waterfall from the rock, scatters itself in foam, is more glorious! - that is the poet's lot. Life is, indeed, only a short dream. When in that other world I again meet Annunciata, she will also love me. All pure souls love one another: arm in arm the blessed spirits advance towards God!"

Thus dreamed my thoughts; and courage and power to come forth as an improvisatore, as well as a strong delight in so doing, filled my soul. One thing alone lay heavily on my heart what would Francesca and Excellenza say to my flight from home, and my début as improvisatore? They believed me industriously and quietly occupied with my books in Rome. This consciousness allowed me to have no rest : I determined, therefore, that same night to write to them.

With filial confidence, I related to them everything which had occurred, every single circumstance— my love for Annunciata, and the consolation which alone I found in nature and in art; and concluded with an urgent prayer for an answer, as favorable as their hearts could give me ; nor before I obtained this would I take one step, or come forward in public. Longer than a month they must not let me languish.

My tears fell upon the letter as I wrote it; but I felt relieved by it; and when I had ended it, I quickly slept more soundly and calmly than I had done for a long time.

The following day, Federigo and I arranged our affairs. He removed into a new lodging, in one of the side streets. I remained at the Casa Tedesca, where I could see Vesuvius and the sea, two world's wonders which were new to me. I industriously visited the Museo Bourbonico, the theatres, and the promenades; and during a three days' residence in the foreign city, had made myself very well acquainted with it.

An invitation for Federigo and me came from Professor Maretti, and his wife Santa. At the first moment I believed this to be a mistake, as I knew neither the one nor the other, and yet the invitation seemed to have particular reference to me: I was to bring Federigo with me. On inquiry, I found that Maretti was a very learned man, an antiquarian; and that Signora Santa had lately returned home from a visit in Rome. I and Federigo had made her acquaintance on the journey. Thus then she was the Neapolitan signora.

In the course of the evening, Federigo and I went. We found a numerous company in a well-lighted saloon, the polished marble floor of which reflected the lights; whilst a large scaldino, with a loose iron grating, diffused a mild

warmth.

Signora, or, as we now indeed know her name, Santa, met us with open arms. Her light blue silk dress was very becoming to her had she not been so stout, she would have been very lovely. She introduced us to her company, and prayed us to make ourselves quite at home.

"Into my house," said she, "enter none but friends: you will soon become acquainted with them all." With this she mentioned several names, pointing to different persons.

"We talk, we dance, we have a little singing," said she, "and so the time flies on."

She pointed out seats to us. A young lady was seated at the piano, and sung: it was precisely the very same aria which Annunciata had sung in "Dido"; but it sounded with quite another expression, and seized upon the soul with a much less powerful effect. Yet I was compelled, with the rest, to applaud the singer; and now she struck a few accords, and played a lively dance: two or three gentlemen took their ladies, and floated over the polished, smooth floor. I withdrew myself into a window: a little half-famished looking man, with ever-moving, glassy eyes, bowed himself deeply before me. I had remarked him, like a little kobold, incessantly popping in and out of the door. In order to get up a conversation, I began to speak of the eruption of Vesuvius, and how beautiful the lava-stream was.

"That is nothing, my friend,” replied he, "nothing to the great eruption of 96, which Pliny describes: then the ashes flew as far as Constantinople. We have also, in my time, gone with umbrellas in Naples, because of the ashes; but between Naples and Constantinople there is a difference. The classical time excelled us in everything a time in which we should have prayed, "Serus in cælum redeas !"

I spoke of the theatre of San Carlo; and the man went back to the car of Thespis, and gave me a treatise on the tragic and comic Muses. I dropped a word about the mustering of the royal troops; and he immediately went into the ancient mode of warfare, and commanding of the whole phalanx. The only question which he himself asked me was, whether I studied the history of art, and gave myself up to antiquities. I said that the whole world's life, everything lay

near to my heart; that I felt called upon to be a poet; and the man then clapped his hands, and began to declaim about my lyre,

"O decus Phœbi, et dapibus supremi

Grata testudo Jovis !"

"Has he now got hold of you?" said Santa, laughing, and coming up to us; "then are you already deep in Sesostris' age. But your own times have demands upon you; there sit ladies on the opposite side with whom you must dance."

"But I do not dance; never did dance," replied I.

"But if I," said she, "the lady of the house were to ask you to dance with me, you would not refuse."

"Yes, indeed; for I should dance so badly that we should both of us fall on the smooth floor."

"A beautiful idea!" exclaimed she, and skipped across to Federigo, and soon were they two floating through the room. "A lively woman!" said the husband, and added, "and handsome, very handsome, Signor Abbé."

"Very handsome," replied I politely, and then we were, Heaven knows how, deep in the Etruscan Vases. He offered himself as my guide in the Museo Bourbonico, and explained to me what great masters they had been who had painted these brittle treasures, in which every line contributed to the beauty of the figures in expression of attitude, and who were obliged to paint them whilst the clay was warm, it not being possible to rub anything out, whilst, on the contrary, every line which had once been made must remain there.

"Are you yet deep in history?" inquired Santa, who again came up to us. "The consequence then follows!" exclaimed she, laughing, and drew me away from the pedant, whilst she whispered, half aloud, "Do not let my husband annoy you! You must be gay, must take part in the gayety! I will seat you here; you shall relate to me what you have seen, heard, and enjoyed."

I then told her how much Naples pleased me; told her of that which had given me most delight; of a little trip I had this afternoon made through the grotto of Posilippo, besides which I had discovered, in a thick vine grove, the ruins of a little church, which had been converted into a family